


Warrior of...Barbecue?

by HawkSong



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cleaning, Cuddling & Snuggling, Food, Gen, Wolmeric Week (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29895321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawkSong/pseuds/HawkSong
Summary: Wolmeric Week 2021: FoodMore High School AU silliness.Berylla decided to do a big barbecue. This is just the aftermath.
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 6





	Warrior of...Barbecue?

Berylla stood in the kitchen at Borel House, and could not quit grinning.

Jarilant stood beside her, and the old man was smiling almost as widely as she was.

“I confess, Miss Berylla, I never thought to see such a wonderful sight.”

Estinien, elbow-deep in hot water as he scrubbed dishes, rolled his eyes. Alphinaud let out a long suffering sigh – but he smiled over his shoulder at Berylla as he dried another plate and set it aside. Aymeric didn't even look up, but then again he was on his knees by the oven, scrubbing out the bottom of it. Across the kitchen from him, Lucia and Handeloup worked together at scraping and cleaning the barbecue grills.

The floor was yet a horrifying mess, but then again, that couldn't be cleaned until the grills were finished. Berylla looked up at the House Steward and said, “At least the food was good.”

There was a ragged chorus of agreement from everyone laboring to clean in response to _that_.

“If ever I knew, how much work such makes, I would not so eagerly your invitation have accepted,” Lucia laughed. “But tasty it was, and much thanks for your efforts.”

“It's a pure crime that no one ever fed y'all barbecue,” Berylla smiled at the tall Hyur. “I was glad to fix that. I gotta thank all y'all, too – I would never have been able to feed so many folks without y'all helpin'.” She glanced around the kitchen, and then rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn't think it'd make this much mess, either. So thanks for helpin' with that too. Really.” She looked back at Jarilant. “No leftovers to handle, either.”

The steward smiled, and patted her shoulder. “Since you have the situation here well in hand, I shall go and make certain that the cleanup in the dining hall is also proceeding apace.”

He left then, and Berylla walked over to where Lucia and Handeloup sat. “Those look almost done,” she said. “Figure another rinse will show you what all might be left, but I think y'all just about got it.” She moved across the room to check on Aymeric, but even as she got there, he grunted and sat back on his heels.

“I am done.” He looked up at her, and she smiled a little. He had a black streak across one cheek, and his hands were downright gross from the gunk he'd been scrubbing. One of the pans of barbecued beans had tipped over, so there had been quite a mess to deal with.

“Yup, you sure are.” She tapped her own cheek. “Might wanna go wash up at the sink, though.”

He blinked, and rubbed his arm across his face, smearing black stuff on his shirt and making more of a mess on his face. Berylla covered her mouth, but her giggle was obvious anyway.

“Go on, get yourself cleaned up,” she told him, taking the steel wool from his hand. “I've got the rest of this.”

He got to his feet, and gave her a look that made her blush a bit, but he didn't say anything.

Estinien made room for Aymeric at the sink, and in a moment all three boys turned away from the counter there. “Dishes are done,” the silver haired Elezen told her.

“Great, thank you again. Y'all go on.”

“Are you sure?” asked Alphinaud.

“Your hands are all red and wrinkly, Alphinaud, you need to take a break, trust me.” Berylla smiled sweetly at him. “Shoo.”

Just about then, Lucia and Handeloup finished with their own task, and brought everything over to set the grills in the big steel double sink. One more round of thanks, and Berylla was alone in the kitchen.

She looked around for a moment. It was a really, really nice kitchen. A really _big_ kitchen. For an instant she let herself daydream about having such a wonderful kitchen, and all the equally wonderful meals she could make in such a place. Then she shook her head. _That ain't happenin'. Not for me_.

So instead she grabbed the bucket and the mop. The hottest water she could get went into the bucket along with two caps full of the strong cleaning solution that Jarilant had shown her. The smell of pine needles was choking-strong, but she ignored that and got to work.

She'd saved this job for herself. It was always the worst one, took the longest, and you couldn't do it until everyone else was out of the way. She found herself humming as she worked, and the floor seemed to practically clean itself. _Guess this is what it's like when the floor gets real clean, real regular like. Then again, Borel has a lotta servants_.

A bit of gloom settled over her once more. _Wonder if he'd let me work for him after I get outta prison_.

The floor was clean and she wrung out the mop and emptied out the filthy water. Then she started wiping the counters down one more time with a cloth soaked in bleach. While she did it, she fussed at herself. _Stop thinkin' like that. Miss A'yora would fuss at you if she could hear you_.

Finally, everything was as clean as she knew how to make it. She rinsed the cloth out and left it draped over the middle part of the sink, and dried her hands.

Then she wandered out into the hallway.

Aymeric was waiting for her, leaning his shoulder against the wall, with his arms crossed. He had changed his shirt from the one he had gotten dirty. Berylla blushed a little bit as she realized he was wearing the t-shirt she'd gotten him for Starlight, the one that was too big.

He straightened up when he saw her, and smiled. “Everyone else has gone,” he said.

“Okay. I bet you'd like some peace and quiet,” she started to say, but then Aymeric moved closer to her. On simple reflex she backed up, but found herself against the wall almost immediately – and then Aymeric's hand was on the wall beside her head and he was leaning over her, his smile gone, his eyes intent on hers.

“Don't go,” he told her. “Please.”

“Aymeric, I – I don't know if this is a g-good idea...”

“I haven't had a moment alone with you all day.” He slid his other hand behind her head, and rested his forehead against hers. “I have not forgotten what we talked about. But I – I can't go another minute without touching you. Holding you.”

“Just cuddlin'?” Her voice was small, breathless.

“Yes. I promise.”

Berylla slipped her arms around his waist, and eased forward, so that her head rested on his chest. “Okay. For a little while.”

He hugged her for a moment, then stepped back and took her by the hand. They didn't speak as he led her to the den. He sat on the end of the couch and tugged her down beside him. Without discussion, she turned so that her legs stretched out along the couch cushions, and Aymeric put his arm around her waist. She leaned into him, hugging his arm and pillowing her head on his shoulder.

He tugged the tie off her hair, and combed his fingers through it. Berylla shut her eyes, and slowly relaxed into his embrace.

Drifting, she half smiled. _Maybe I'll go to jail for a hundred years, or maybe I'll hang. Maybe this is as close I'll ever get to bein' happy. But I think, maybe, it'll be enough._


End file.
